LAFAYETTE, La. – March 27, 2019 – Donald W. Washington, a partner in the Lafayette office of Jones Walker LLP, was recently appointed by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the United States Senate as the Director of the United States Marshals Service, the country’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Mr. Washington will be sworn in on Friday, March 29, in Shreveport, Louisiana at the federal courthouse with Judge Carl Stewart administering the oath and Judge Maury Hicks presiding.  

Mr. Washington joined the Lafayette office of Jones Walker in 2010. He is an experienced litigator, focusing on complex civil and criminal disputes. Before joining the firm, Mr. Washington was a former United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana during the George W. Bush administration. While serving as U.S. Attorney, he also held a number of leadership positions within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee; the DOJ-sponsored Executive Committee for Federal Prosecutors, State Attorneys General, and District Attorneys; and the DOJ's Terrorism, Controlled Substances, and Native American Issues committees.

“Don has been an exceptional asset to our firm and we are proud of him for being selected for this important role to lead the U.S. Marshals,” said Bill Hines, Managing Partner of the firm. “He will be missed by his colleagues at Jones Walker.”  

Mr. Washington is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering before earning his juris doctor degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston. Mr. Washington was employed by Conoco, Inc. and held engineering, business, and law positions, including serving as chief counsel for the company’s Gulf of Mexico Division. In 2018, he was appointed Temporary Marshal for the City of Lafayette during the absence of the current elected Marshal. Like other Jones Walker attorneys, he has been a strong supporter of his community and state by serving on various boards and commissions, currently including the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, Community Foundation of Acadiana, University of Louisiana-Lafayette Foundation, Pines to the Gulf Girl Scout Council, and Home Bank.

About Jones Walker

Jones Walker LLP (www.joneswalker.com) is among the 120 largest law firms in the United States serving local, regional, national, and international business interests with offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, and Texas. The firm is committed to providing a comprehensive range of legal services to major multinational, public and private corporations, Fortune® 500 companies, money center banks, worldwide insurers, and emerging companies doing business in the United States and abroad.

About the U.S. Marshals Service

The U.S. Marshals Service is the country's oldest federal law enforcement agency and employs more than 5,200 U.S. Marshals, deputy U.S. marshals, support staff and executives. The Service has offices in every federal district across the United States, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Mariana Islands. Its duties include protecting federal judges and prosecutors, worldwide apprehension of fugitives, assisting other governments in apprehension of international fugitives, locating missing children, managing and selling assets seized from criminals, transporting federal prisoners and protecting witnesses.